COVID-19 and Four Lakes

What can you do to stay active and healthy during these unprecedented times?

As we all know, a stay at home order has been issued until at least April 30th for all of Illinois. While we are being asked to stay home and practice social distancing during these trying times, there are still plenty of ways to stay in touch with friends, stay active and stay healthy.

Keeping in touch with friends.

In the digital age, it's certainly easier than ever to keep in touch. From Facebook groups, to group FaceTime calls we can all stay in touch with loved ones and friends. We encourage all Residents to stay in touch in this manner with their friends and family. Another great, free options is Google Duo, a free chat and video platform that allows users with computer (PC and Mac), iPhone, and Android devices to chat face to face while maintaining social distancing.

Staying Active.

The stay at home order does not necessarily mean 'stay inside', it simply means to limit contact with people outside of your family. According to the State of Illinois website residents of Illinois should "go outdoors for fresh air and exercise. Ride a bike, walk the dog, go for a hike, jog. Social distancing does not mean staying indoors, it means avoiding close contact with people. Remember to wash your hands any time you enter from outdoors and before you eat." Read the Stay at Home Order FAQs HERE

Fishing during the pandemic.

While we navigate through these uncertain times, the State of Illinois as well as the Illinois DNR have released guidelines to follow while maintaining social distancing. According to “Inside Illinois DNR” Volume 8 Issue 4 (link) “Hunters and anglers who wish to hunt or fish during the Governor’s Executive Order to ‘Stay at Home’ may do so provided they have the appropriate licensing and permits and are hunting or fishing on private property or at sites which are currently open to the public”. For Four Lakes Residents wishing to fish on property lakes that means you are more than welcome to, providing you have a valid Recreation ID as well as a current state Fishing License.

Stay Healthy.

As stated above, residents of Illinois are still welcome and encouraged to go outside to stay active and healthy, but you can stay inside as well and get some health benefits. First, remember to stick to a normal schedule where possible, the disruption in a daily routine can cause anxiety, stress and lethargy. Eat healthy, avoid the salty snacks and candy and focus on portion size and balanced nutrition. With the shelter in place order, a lot of people are noticing a decrease in movement, and physical exercise. Look into online exercise classes. If you're missing the gym, try looking for local gyms offering online classes. Don't forget about your mental health. The stay at home order could be having a negative affect on your mental health as well as your physical health. Be sure to take some time to do something you love (while maintaining social distancing).

What this means for Four Lakes Events.

Four Lakes Recreation will be following all guidelines set forth by the State of Illinois and the CDC. This means that we will be postponing the start of our Spring events calendar. As some of you saw, we cancelled the Easter Egg Hunt already, and will most likely be doing the same to the other events we had scheduled for the end of April and beginning of May. As soon as we are able to, we will begin to have events again. Offices remain closed and staff continue to work remotely as much as possible to keep everyone safe. We have suspended Resident ID services until such a time that allowing people into offices is safe for our staff and residents alike.

We ask that all Residents please avoid social gatherings for the time being.

Did we miss anything?

If you have advice, a service, or ideas for ways to stay active during these times, please comment below to share with fellow residents!

We'll get through this together, and we can't wait to see you all once we're able to get back out and gather!

~Chris